James Corden is mostly known for having musical fun with celebrities in cars, but he’s had a bit of a rough time lately when trying to have a similar amount of fun with current events. He was photographed kissing Sean Spicer on the cheek at the Emmys in September, a goofy photo-op that he sort of apologized for later, and now he’s facing some backlash for a series of crummy jokes about Harvey Weinstein during last night’s AmfAR Gala in Los Angeles. As reported by Variety, Corden joked at one point that it was such beautiful night in L.A. that “Harvey Weinstein has already asked tonight up to his hotel to give him a massage.”
This was met with “nervous laughter,” but Corden continued with: “It has been weird this week, though, watching Harvey Weinstein in hot water. Ask any of the women who watched him take a bath” and “Harvey Weinstein wanted to come tonight, but sadly he’ll settle for whatever potted plant is closest.” These were all references to the many allegations of sexual harassment and abuse that have been brought against Weinstein lately, and Variety notes that a lot of the audience seemed to think they were “too soon.”
Those audience members aren’t alone, as Rose McGowan and Asia Argento later criticized Corden for the jokes on Twitter:
He has now apologized (via The Hollywood Reporter), explaining that he didn’t mean to “make light of Harvey’s inexcusable behavior” but to “shame him.”